Indian migrants in Holy Land prepare for Marian feast
Jaffa, Israel, 03 August 2013: Preparations for the Feast of the Nativity of Mary
this September are already underway in the Holy Land, particularly among Indian migrant
workers.
“Mother Mary is revered with great devotion by the Indian community
as a mother and a spiritual figure of maternal protection,” said Friar Jayaseellan
Pitchaimuthu OFM, head of the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land.
She is acknowledged
as the “protector and patroness” of the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land because she
is a “model” for the migrants, he told CNA.
He noted that the Holy Family took
refuge in Egypt for safety and settled for livelihood in Nazareth, and that Jesus
carried out his apostolic mission in Judea, Galilee and Jerusalem. Many Indian Catholic
migrant workers “seek grace and invoke (Mary's) motherly protection,” he said.
The
feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary falls on Sunday, September 8, which is a working
day in Israel. Therefore, the feast is being celebrated this year the previous day,
which is a weekend holiday.
According to Friar Pitchaimuthu, the September
7 celebration is expected to draw more than 3,000 migrant workers and pilgrims to
Jaffa, Israel.
Catholics from coastal part of Western India popularly call
the feast day “Monti Fest,” a time to celebrate the harvest with family and thank
God for the fruits of the crops.
As part of the celebration, a novena will
begin on August 30, kicking off a week of meditations and intercessory prayers leading
up to the feast day. A large, colorful procession will begin at 5 p.m. in Jaffa, followed
by Mass celebrated by H.B. Fouad Boutros Ibrahim Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
“There
will then be blessing of harvested new grain, followed by a fellowship dinner,” said
Friar Pitchaimuthu. The friar explained that the Marian feast day is particularly
important in the Indian context because of its relation to other faiths.
Members
of other religions, including Hindus and Muslims, “regard Marian devotions in esteem,”
he said.
Thousands of devotees – both Catholics and non-Catholics – flock every
week to the Marian apparition site at Velankanni, near Chennai in South India, and
other shines that have recorded various miracles, he said. In this way, the friar
explained, “Marian devotion also leads to a platform for inter-religious dialogue.”Source:
CNA/EWTN